Report on Leadership and Management in Business Operations (Rowlinson)

This report analyzes the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, comparing their functions within an organizational context. It uses Rowlinson Knitwear as a case study to examine how leadership and management apply in various situations, including addressing decreased productivity and introducing new products. The report explores key approaches to operations management, highlighting the importance of achieving business objectives. It also assesses factors influencing operational management and decision-making, such as leadership styles (autocratic, democratic), and the application of leadership theories (trait, situational, system, contingency). The report delves into management theories like Management by Objectives (MBO) and the roles of managers according to Mintzberg, providing a comprehensive overview of leadership and management in a business setting. This report aims to provide valuable insights into improving business operations, decision-making, and overall organizational success. It is a valuable resource for students studying leadership and management.

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
LO1 1...............................................................................................................................................4
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager....4
LO2..................................................................................................................................................6
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in
different situational contexts..................................................................................................6
LO3................................................................................................................................................11
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and
managers play.......................................................................................................................11
P5 Explain the importance and value of operations management in achieving business
objectives..............................................................................................................................13
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................14
LO4................................................................................................................................................14
P6 Assess the factors within the business environment that impact upon operational
management and decision-making by leaders and managers...............................................14
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Management is the act of influencing other employees to do work and providing them
proper guidance and effective allocation of resources towards attaining targets and objectives,.

Leadership is concerned with providing guidance and directions to the employees so as to
execute the task and attain the realistic goals (Boyd and Dougherty, 2016). Therefore both
management and leadership are vital for the business organisations in order to attain higher
growth and profitability. This report is based on Rowlinson Knitwear which is a UK based
company provides garments for school wear and corporate wear with a full personalised service.
The report will throw highlights on advising small and medium business how to develop further
on their operations as well as demonstrates the role of managers and leaders in different
situational contexts and explains the key approaches and the benefits of implementing
approaches to operational management in attaining the business objectives. It also discusses the
factors which has influence on the business activities within the organisation and effects
decisions of the leaders.
LO1 1
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Management is an organisational administration which includes the activity of
developing and implementing the strategy and thereby coordinating the employees efforts
towards the realisation of business targets. Therefore management within the respective
organisation is responsible for planning strategies and organising necessary resources and funds
so as to direct employee's behaviour towards attaining realistic goals.
Leadership is concerned with providing guidance and direction to the employees so as to
help them in executing and completing the work within the specific time period and leads to the
attainment of the organisational targets and objectives.
Therefore both management and leadership are different from each other but helps the
employees leading to achieve goals and objectives of business enterprise.
According to J.kotter Leadership and Management are both different concepts, and
contains various functions which leads to the realisation of the organisational goals.
Basis Leadership Functions Management Functions

Sets Goals and Objectives Its sets direction and develops
vision for the organisation as
well as develops strategic
plans and guides employees
behaviour towards attaining
the same.
Management plans budgets
and provide timelines to the
employees to work and
compete their task towards
attaining goals.
Administration Leadership conducts the
administration function by
providing authority and
delegating responsibilities to
the employees to make them
work effectively (Ellitan,
2017).
Management performs the
planning and coordination
function by considering
employees behaviour and
provides them guidance
accordingly to execute the task
and attains the targets of the
business enterprise.
Management within the organisation is concerned with proper planning, organising and
coordinating the employees behaviour towards the so as to work within the organisational
standards and attains maximum profitability.
Roles and Duties of Management within Rowlinson
 Providing information to the employees so as to make them work effectively.
 Formulation of plans and strategies so that employees can work according to the set
policies (Plesser and et. al., 2014).
 They are responsible for monitoring employees performance and provide them with
proper rewards so as to enhance their performance in a productive manner.
Management by Objective is an structural approach to performance management which
provides a balance between the organisational and individual objectives. It main focus is on
achieving both the targets and provide feedbacks on the results so that employees contributes
best towards the development and the objectives of the organisation.
MBO process cycle by Peter Drucker

 Determine and Set Organisational Goals- Setting the organisational objectives for the
respective organisation is the starting point of MBO. Manager within the respective
organisation is responsible to set organisational goals objectives so that employees can
work in a effective manner towards attaining them (Management By Objectives, 2019.).
 Communicating the Goal- When the goals of the respective organisation are been
formulated next step is concerned with communicating the same to the employees and
directing them towards their roles and responsibilities. Therefore Peter Drucker
determines that manager should communicate the smart objectives to its employees to
make it easy attainable for employees.
 Encourage Employees participation- It is the managers duty within the respective
organisation to enhance employees participation and involves them in decision making
process. This will enhance employees motivation level at Rowlinson Knitwear and assist
them in attaining the organisational goals (Eraki, 2015).
 Monitor and Evaluate employees performance- It is the responsibility of the manager
at Rowlinson Knitwear to monitor the employees performance and provides them with
feedback so that they can improve their weaker areas and leads to the realisation of goals
in better manner.
 Appraisal and reward of employees performance- After analysing employee's
performance it is the managers responsibility to provide employees with proper rewards
so as to motivate them against their work done and helps them to function business
activities in more effective proper and attains maximum profit for the company.
LO2
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in
different situational contexts.
Their are some roles of manager introduced by H. Mintzberg which helps the managers
functions their different roles in a proper manner. These roles are discussed as follows-
Organisational Situation- when there is a situation of decreased productivity within Rowlinson
Knitwear, manager should perform their interpersonal roles as follows-
 Interpersonal Roles- This roles are concerned with the both leaders and managers to
convey necessary informations to its employees and communicates effectively with its

clients. It comprises of three roles such as figurehead, leader and liaison. Manager as a
figurehead within the respective organisation act a source of information and assign
authorities to the employees at Rowlinson Knitwear to work effectively as well as in the
leader role manager at Rowlinson Knitwear it provides guidance and direction to the
employees as well as manages execution and responsibilities of all the employees. In the
liaison role manager at Rowlinson Knitwear interacts with the internal and the external
clients and builds network effectively on behalf of Rowlinson Knitwear (Fan, Liu and
Zhang, 2015). Here manager at 4.com works as a liaison and maintains networks with the
inside and outside clients so as to enhance their good will in the market and attract
customers towards the services of the company which leads to increase productivity.
Organisational Situation- In Rowlinson when there is a situation of issues and conflicts as
employees are not able to work effectively and leads them in difficulty towards the realisation of
organisational goals. In such situation, manager should perform its informational roles discussed
as-
 Informational Role- This role of manager at Rowlinson Knitwear is considered with
proper collecting and communicating information to the employee so that they can
execute the work , thereby reducing issues and conflicts. It comprises of three main roles
such as Monitor in which manager at Rowlinson Knitwear analyses relevant changes in
the environment and monitors team work so that employees can be provided necessary
directions to complete the work. In disseminator manager performs the role
communicates the necessary information to its employees and team so that goals can be
achieved within the specific time period. In spoke person managers represents the
organisation to the outside public and provides information about the respective
organisational and their goals and objectives. In order to solve the above situation within
Rowlinson Knitwear it is necessary for the manager to perform the role of monitor and
disseminator so that by monitoring the employees performance necessary information can
be provided and helps them to attain the organisational role by reducing issues and
conflicts (Han and et. al., 2017).
Organisational Situation- When the respective organisation is introducing new products to their
product line and needs to achieve sales, manger at Rownlion should perform the following roles
such as-

 Decisional roles- These roles are concerned taking effective decisions by gathering and
evaluating the information in the proper manner. It includes entrepreneur, resource
allocator, disturbance handler and negotiator. Under the entrepreneurial role manager at
Rowlinson Knitwear encourages innovation and helps the employees to adopt the change,
in disturbance handler manager is responsible to reduce issues and conflicts at Rowlinson
Knitwear by taking effective actions and in resource allocator manager at 4 com is
responsible for distributing the necessary resources in order to help the employees to
achieve the goal and in negotiators role manger at Rowlinson Knitwear participates in
negotiations with the individuals and the organisation and works towards the interest of
the organisation. Here manager should perform the role of resource allocator and
disturbance handler as way of distributing necessary resources to the employees to carry
the production work in a proper manner and thereby takes effective actions so as to avoid
disturbance and helps in maximising sales and profitability for the company.
There are various organisational situations in Rowlinson towards which the management
plays an important role by different models and approach. As within the organisational situation
of Rowlinson when they have to introduce a new garment which leads to issues and conflicts.
under this managers within the business enterprise adopted scientific management theory so as to
handle the situation in a effective manner by providing the employees with necessary trainings
facilities and provided them with a systematic way of performing task as well as guidance is
provided so that employees work in a positive manner thereby leading the employees towards
the realisation of organisational goals. Moreover management should performs the entrepreneur
and the resources allocator role in a effective manner and makes proper plans and policies so as
to attain the realistic goals.
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach, including situational leadership, systems
leadership and contingency.
Towards various conditions and situations prevailing in the respective organisation it is
necessary for the Leader at 4com to adopt different approaches and styles of leadership.
Leadership Trait theory concerned with leadership traits and characteristics leader and
determines leaders effectiveness towards managing the organisational situation. Some of the
common leadership traits required in the leaders at Rowlinson are knowledge. Decision making
skills, flexibility, charity, honesty and integrity, confidence and motivation. This skills or traits

should be needed by the leaders to overcome any organisational situation and leads to growth
and success. (Idris, 2016).
Therefore to manage different organisational situation leader within the respective
organisation should adopt to-
 Situational Leadership - In order to manage different organisational situations, for
example reducing issues and conflicts, increasing productivity leaders should adopt to
this approach and thereby uses the various skills and traits towards attaining
organisational goals in a better manner.
 System Leadership- Leader at Rowlinson should adopt to this approach in order to
address the organisational situation of reducing issues and conflicts at workplace and
thereby creating harmonious environment by properly managing interrelatedness between
departments and organisation and thereby helps employees to work in a systematic
manner.
 Contingency Leadership- This style of leadership determines that leader should adopt to
foremost style that matches with the organisational situation and guides employees
behaviour so as to attain organisational goals. (Yun and et. al., 2018).
Leadership Styles
 Autocratic- This style of leadership leader within the respective organisation provides
command and instructions to the employees to work in a proper manner.
 Democratic- Under this leadership style leader within the organisation should involve
employee's in all the important decisions and work and encourages them to share their
opinion and suggestions.
Democratic style of leadership should be adopted by the leader at Rowlinson to make the worker
works towards the realisation of targets of company.
Their are some of the leadership approaches which can be adopted by Rowlinson so as to
mange the organisational situations in a better manner. Each approach has its own strengths and
weakness discussed as follows-
Situational Leadership Approach-
Strengths-

 It is a flexible and a adaptable approach which allows managers at Rowlinson to adopt
and handles the organisation situation in a proper manner (Wen-chao, Fan and Wen-wen,
2012).
 It helps in creating harmonious work place environment.
Weakness-
 It makes the leader confused and complicated to adopt which approach as all the
situational factors are interrelated.
 It focus on the immediate short term needs rather than focusing on long term goals of
organisation.
System Leadership-
Strengths-
 It leads to the interconnection of the various departments within the organisational which
helps in attaining goals and objectives in proper manner.
 It assist the team members to work better together to achieve organisational targets.
Weakness-
 This approach is risky due to the interrelatedness of the various parameters.
 It creates confusion among the company to create different systems so as to manage
work place environment (Parmar, 2014).
Contingency Approach
Strengths-
 This approach benefits the Rowlinson to handle the contingency situation in a better
manner and help in achieving targets.
 It helps the leader to gain confidence and trust and manages the situation in a effective
manner.
Weaknesses-
 It creates complexity of the leader to choose the best style as it determines the
effectiveness of the leader to sustain in the organisation.
 It is basically a reactive approach rather than proactive
Hard Skills refers to the specific technical knowledge or training that managers within
organisation should posses so as provide proper guidance and training to the employees to make

them work effectively. Soft skills are the personality traits such as social skills, communication
skills so as to interact effectively with the employees and assist them to work towards attainment
of organisational goals and objectives.
LO3
P4 Explain the key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers
play
Operation management is defined as the proper transformation of raw materials into
finished products, thereby attaining maximum efficiency in their work. Its main aim is to achieve
optimum capacity of resources and leads to attain business objectives. (XIANG, Chen and
Zhang, 2013). Transformation process within this process is concerned with following process
of inputs, process and output. Under this respective company input all the raw materials are
included as material for making clothes, labour and finance and in transformation process stage
all the inputs are processed and in the last stage output is released and final goods are made
available to the customers. Therefore output is the uniforms and the dresses for the customers at
Rowlinson.
Quality refers to the degree to which to which the products and services meets the
demands and the requirement of the customer. In manufacturing companies quality is a measure
of excellence and providing the products that are free from defects and errors. Cost of quality is
an approach or a methodology which can be adopted by Rowlinson Knitwear in order to
ascertain that resources are used at the maximum level to prevent manufacturing of poor quality
of products and takes proper measure to minimise internal and external failures. Four cost of
quality for managers at Rowlinson are-
 Prevention Cost- Managers at Rowlinson incurs this cost to minimise failure of
manufacturing garments such as proper quality planning and new product development
and testing (Ma and Sun, 2012).
 Appraisal Cost- Managers within the respective organisation incurs this cost to maintain
the acceptable quality level of the products.
 Internal cost of Failure- Respective company bears this cost with managing the defects
of the Rowlinson garments before they reaches to the ultimate customers.

 External Failures- This cost is incurred when defects are found when customer receives
Rowlinson garments. It includes cost for service and repair as well as shipping damage.
APPROACHES
TQM is an structured approach to operational management whose main purpose is to
enhance company's products by reducing errors and waste during the manufacturing process.
Role of managers within Rowlinson Knitwear in TQM approach is that they should provide the
employees with necessary trainings so that products are properly manufactured and there is no
wastage and defects during the transformation process and performs the communication function
of providing necessary information to employees so that defects are been reduced and leads to
the achievement of maximum efficiency in business operations (Nayak, 2015).
Just in Time is a operational approach used by the respective organisation during the
manufacturing of the school and corporate garments with a aim of minimising errors associated
with the company as well as minimises the wastages due to excess production of goods. This
approach should be adopted by respective organisation so as to reduce wastage in their operation
activities and leads to maximum efficiency while manufacturing products. This approach is
directly linked to reducing waste and improves material handling, thereby enhancing profitability
and productivity within company (Williams, 2015). Their are various other approaches just as six
sigma, lean production which can be adopted by the organisation so as to improve their
efficiency in productivity and leads to reduce wastage and errors.
Six sigma- It is an statistical approach adopted by the company so as to achieve maximum
efficiency in their production work and leads to reduced wastage and errors. This approaches
adopted by the company helps to reduce wastage while manufacturing garments.
Lean production- It is an operational management approach which majorly focuses on increasing
the production efficiency and reduces wastages and errors in the production work. This
approach adopted by the company helps to minimise errors within respective company.
Conversion process is concerned with proper conversion of inputs and outputs, thereby
producing the quality products . IN context to Rowlinson Knitwear its transformation process
includes inputs consist of raw material, labour and then in transformation process it is processed
with the help of machines and in the final stage output of finished garments is produced and
offered to the consumers (Tristancho and Gutiérrez, 2012).